Two of a Kind
by unicorn-skydancer08
Summary: Terence has been gone from Narnia for ages, and Tumnus mourns deeply over the absence of his beloved friend. Yet fate determines that the two divided paths shall be joined as one once more.
1. Chapter 1

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Thus we proceed with a fresh, new adventure. I wanted to show how Tumnus, along with everyone else, would have reacted when they first discovered Terence in his human shape. I imagine it would have been a bit of a nasty shock for them all, most especially for Tumnus, considering Terence is his best mate. I hope you don't mind reading about Terence again; I plan to publish a full, complete novel about him someday, and this helps give him a little bit of publicity. This also helps me hone my writing skills, which will benefit me in my writing career. _

_

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_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

Chapter 1**

"Are you all right, Lucy?" Edmund asked gently, seeing the distress reflected in his sister's face.

"You're not eating your breakfast," Susan pointed out.

Lucy, who had been poking listlessly at her food, looked up slowly into her three elder siblings' concerned eyes.

"Don't you feel well, Lu?" questioned Peter. He reached over while he spoke and laid a large hand mildly on Lucy's forehead, as if to check for a fever.

"Oh…yes," said Lucy softly, "yes, I feel fine, Peter. Physically, if nothing else."

"What's wrong?" Edmund queried, as he set his own fork and knife carefully aside.

"It's Tumnus," Lucy explained, looking and sounding downcast. "I'm very worried about him."

"Is he all right?" asked Susan.

"I couldn't say, Susan. He has been looking rather pale and thin to me lately, as if he hasn't been eating properly. The last time I saw him, when he invited me to tea at his cave, I noticed he had dark smudges under his eyes, like he hasn't been getting enough sleep. And his eyes themselves were dreadfully red, like he had been crying. When I tried to strike up a conversation with him, I could barely get him to say more than five words at a time. Even when he smiled at me and tried to act like everything was fine, I could clearly see something was troubling him."

"That doesn't sound right to me," said Edmund.

"What could be the matter with him?" Susan wondered.

"I expect he's still grieving about…" Lucy paused for a second, before finishing her sentence. "…you know, _him._"

Peter nodded, knowing what Lucy meant by "_him_". "Terence," the High King said quietly.

Lucy gloomily nodded herself. Tears pricked at the youngest queen's eyes as she thought about the white unicorn, who had mysteriously disappeared some time ago, and for some strange reason, never returned. Neither Lucy nor her siblings nor Tumnus had heard from him or seen so much as a trace of the stallion in ages—neither had anyone else, for that matter.

Although the unicorn did not exactly hail from Narnia, the land which Lucy and her brothers and sister presided over, he used to visit them, quite frequently, and stay with them for considerable periods of time. Lucy could hardly imagine so much as one day going by in which she couldn't see the handsome young unicorn with her own eyes, or hear him speak to her in his richly accented voice. (Being a unicorn, he had the gift of speech, and could converse as well as any human.)

Then, one day, the visits somehow just stopped altogether. Terence had never even told them he was going anywhere.

Lucy knew her friend possessed a free spirit, that he liked to roam wherever his feet took him. But surely the unicorn wouldn't leave them forever…not without telling them, at least.

Lucy couldn't help fearing something might have happened to him, without their knowing…something terrible.

Apparently, Tumnus harbored that same fear.

Terence was Tumnus's best mate. Out of everyone in Narnia, Tumnus was the closest to the unicorn. Though the two of them were about as different as they could be, both inside and out, though they often disagreed and sometimes even bickered, they could not have loved each other more and been any more intimate than if they had truly been brothers.

Lucy missed Terence terribly, but Tumnus was undoubtedly taking the loss the hardest.

"I don't mean to sound heartless, Lucy," said Susan, at length, "but it has been five years, now. It doesn't look like Terence will be coming back anytime soon, if ever."

"Perhaps it is time to leave the past in the past," Peter added gently, "and move on with your life."

Lucy sighed heavily and raised her elbows onto the table, sinking her head into her hands, slowly shaking it from side to side.

"I know you are right, Peter," she said melancholically, without looking up. "It's just…hard to say goodbye. I never got the chance to even _tell_ Terence goodbye."

Edmund nodded empathetically, knowing exactly how Lucy felt. He knew how much Terence had meant to her. The unicorn had meant a great deal to all of them.

Even Peter, who was often aggravated by Terence's absurd antics, had ultimately grown to be quite fond of the stallion.

Looking up from her hands, Lucy went on, "And I can't bear to see Tumnus the way he is. It's like…it's like he's wasting away, like there's a light inside of him and it's just about to go out." She lowered her gaze to her plate, where her breakfast lay cold and untouched. "If only there was something I could do for him, something to cheer him up. But I don't know what I can do."

Peter patted her hand consolingly. "Maybe there's nothing you _can _do, Lu," he said, "aside from simply treating Tumnus kindly, and being there for him when he needs you."

* * *

At that same time, Tumnus was alone in his private cave in the Western Woods. He had just finished a scanty breakfast, and now sat in his living room next to the fire with a fresh cup of tea, trying to read a book—one of his personal favorite volumes. Yet for some reason, the faun couldn't bring himself to concentrate on the words.

He had only turned a few pages before tears unexpectedly flooded his eyes, blurring his surroundings, and he had to give up and set the book aside.

He leaned forward, put his elbows on his furry brown haunches, and bent his head, raking his fingers on both hands distractedly through his tangled honey-brown locks. Almost involuntarily, his fingers curled around the little horns that protruded from the crown of his head, holding on tight. Yet even as he sat there and clutched at his horns, he kept seeing a face before his eyes, the face of an old friend. Even as Tumnus closed his eyes, he couldn't block out the image, nor could he do anything to alleviate the pain that tore him up inside.

_Oh, Terence, _his heart lamented, _where_ are_ you? _

Where could his mate possibly be, now? What could have happened to him? The unicorn had gone away, that much Tumnus knew.

Why his friend, his brother, had gone—without even saying goodbye—was beyond him. Was it something Tumnus had said or done, to offend him? Tumnus buried his face in his hands, trying to remember the last time he was with Terence. He couldn't recall much, the details were vague. While the faun couldn't think of anything very terrible, he couldn't think of much good, either. He remembered being somewhat cross with Terence about something, though he could no longer bring to mind exactly what had upset him to begin with.

He did, however, recall failing to appreciate Terence as much as he should have. When was the last time he'd expressed to the unicorn just how much he cared for him?

When was the last time he personally told Terence "I love you"? Guilt stabbed at Tumnus's heart to think of how long it had been.

Now Terence was gone, and though Tumnus had prayed earnestly every day for the past five years that his friend would come back, and continued to do so to this very day, even this very moment, the odds of Terence returning to Narnia were looking progressively slimmer. Sometimes Tumnus couldn't help thinking he might never see the stallion again.

Maybe some horrible misfortune had come about him. Maybe the white beast had been captured, imprisoned somewhere—or even killed. That last notion was so awful that it broke Tumnus's heart, and very nearly made the faun sick to his stomach. Far worse than this was the notion that Terence, if still alive, might have forgotten all about Tumnus. Perhaps he'd run off with some beautiful unicorn mare, started a herd all his own. Tumnus wondered if Terence had any children. He wondered if the stallion even remembered his name.

Oh, what Tumnus wouldn't give to have his old mate back. He would give up everything he owned in the world, if only to see Terence face-to-face again for one minute.

Though a part of Tumnus insisted he ought to put the past behind him, and get on with his life, the faun just couldn't. He had tried, he had honestly tried—yet Terence's memory refused to go away. If anything, it grew and became more potent with every day, until Tumnus could hardly stand it. His sense of guilt had grown as well: guilt not only for taking Terence for granted, and for thinking about what he could have done so terrible as to drive his one true friend in the world away from him, but also guilt for living his life without Terence, for not being able to move on.

It was like he was stuck. He couldn't very well go back, but he couldn't advance forward, either.

What was he to do?

Tumnus's emotions soon caught up with him, surpassing even his physical strength, and all the forlorn creature could do was sit there by the hearth, and weep bitterly.


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO OF A KIND**

_I am proud to present the second chapter of this story, after an almost three-month delay. What you're about to read is pretty dang sad, so brace yourselves. This chapter sort of reflects how I'm feeling right now about my most recently departed friend, the one who died from cancer. Like I said, I was seeing this coming, but the fact that she's finally passed on somehow hasn't quite completely sunk in. _

_I know she's in a better place, and that I'll one day see her again…but I still miss her all the same. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, despite its sad nature, and I expect to receive your feedback. _

_

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_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

Chapter 2**

Three days later, Lucy invited Tumnus to come stay with them at Cair Paravel, at least for a while, in order to recuperate. Tumnus's loneliness and grief over Terence was starting to get the better of him, and it was showing. The dark circles under his eyes that Lucy had been noticing lately were getting more prominent, and every day the faun seemed paler and gaunter than ever.

Even at the Cair, however, Tumnus was hardly any better off than before.

He seldom talked with anyone, save for Lucy and her siblings; even then, he wouldn't speak unless they spoke first. Despite his growing thinness, he ate very little at his meals. Sometimes he refused to come for a meal at all. He spent most of his time shut up in his private chambers, and Lucy would check in on him from time to time to find him either lying on his bed, standing by the window with his arms folded in front of him and his head bowed to his chest, or else slumped at his desk in his personal library with his head in his hands.

Lucy was at a loss of what to do. She tried to take Peter's advice, and treat Tumnus with love and friendliness. But her kindness seemed to do very little good, if any.

Lucy's siblings were at an equal loss. They now understood what Lucy had been talking about; Tumnus was indeed wasting away, almost literally dying of grief.

Even when they were looking at him directly, they barely recognized him.

As for Tumnus, the faun knew he shouldn't be living this way. But he couldn't seem to help himself. Food had all but lost its taste and appeal to him; anything he put into his mouth tasted like sawdust. Everything else that had been so important to him at one time, somehow, didn't matter so much anymore.

Every night and day, the faun would get down on his knees by his bedside and pray for forgiveness, though he honestly didn't know just what he was asking to be forgiven for. Maybe it was for the indeterminate ills he may have caused Terence in the past…or maybe it was for his own impotence, his inability to get over Terence and resume the normalcy of his life.

All he truly knew was that there was an emptiness within him, and every day he was only scraped all the more hollow.

One day, sometime after lunch, Lucy headed quietly into the royal library. She wasn't really in the mood for reading, but she felt the need to be somewhere where Terence's memory did not linger quite so much. Being a unicorn, and therefore lacking hands and literacy, Terence had never really had the use for books and scrolls.

Lucy wandered aimlessly among the rows of books, letting her fingers run over the countless volumes.

Suddenly she jumped a mile, having heard a strange sound just at that moment. Pausing where she was, listening carefully, the teenage queen realized someone else was in that same library. To her great distress, it sounded very much like someone was crying. And Lucy was sure she could guess who that very "someone" was.

Tentatively, she wove her way around the many shelves, until she came across a lone figure sitting in one of the special crimson armchairs. Just as she suspected, it was Tumnus. He didn't seem aware of her, or of anyone else in the room, for he had his head down and his hands held against his face. He was weeping freely into his palms…as though his very heart would break. His devastated sobs touched Lucy's heart, and she didn't hesitate to go to him. Moving around and kneeling down on the floor in front of him, she said softly, "Tumnus?"

He neither spoke, nor looked up from his hands. So she placed her hand on his furry knee and repeated, a little louder this time, "Tumnus?"

This time, she knew she'd gotten his attention, for Tumnus slowly lifted his head, revealing his dripping face. His face looked so incredibly, devastatingly sad, it almost made Lucy want to cry herself there and then. "Oh, Tumnus," she said solicitously, reaching immediately into her pocket and fishing out a handkerchief, her special white one trimmed with eyelet lace, the one that always carried the fragrance of fresh roses. "What is it, my dear Tumnus?" she implored as she held the little cloth out to him, even though she already knew what his answer was going to be.

Tumnus did not speak right away, but only took the handkerchief from her and used it to daub at his wet eyes. When he managed to bring himself to look Lucy in the face again, he croaked, "I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm sorry I'm always…like this. I don't know what's wrong with me. You must think I'm a sappy, mawkish, overemotional fool."

"Oh, no," she quickly interjected. "No, Tumnus…I don't think anything of the sort." Her fingers brushed lightly through the soft, thick brown fur that covered her faun's leg, separating the strands.

"I know you're missing him," she said empathetically. "I miss him, too."

"He was my best mate," Tumnus groaned, sinking his head into his hands once more, his despair so sharp and evident that it ran through Lucy like a knife. "He was one of the few true friends I'd ever had. More than a friend, he was my brother. Oh, Lucy, where can he _be? _What could I have done to make him abandon me?"

The insinuation of Terence deliberately abandoning Tumnus was too much for Lucy, and she rose up from the floor and took a seat next to Tumnus on the armrest. "Oh, Tumnus, don't say that!" she protested, pulling him against her breast. She held Tumnus tightly, rocking him back and forth, as if he were a child. When Tumnus began to shake with fresh sobs, she took back the damp, wadded handkerchief and gently wiped his tears herself. "Don't say that," she repeated. "Don't even_ think_ it. Terence would never do such a thing. He loved you, I know he did."

"But where _is _he?" Tumnus agonized again as he peered up at her, barely able to see through the relentless stream of tears. "Something must have happened to him; I can just feel it. Maybe he's been captured, or maybe some hunter has slain him for his horn. Maybe he's lying dead somewhere, with nothing to mark his grave…"

"Hush, now," Lucy quieted him. Her fingers played in the faun's unruly tangle of curls. "Don't worry, Tumnus," she whispered tenderly, "I am sure he's all right. Terence is a clever unicorn, with a strong heart and a strong will. He knows how to look out for himself. Maybe he is just off exploring somewhere. You know how he's always going wherever his feet take him, how he hates to be tied down or held back. Perhaps right now, this very moment, he's racing across a wide, grassy plain, as wild and free as the wind."

Despite himself, Tumnus had to smile just a little as he pictured the magnificent white stallion racing against the wind, his mane and tail streaming behind him like silver banners, his majestic gold horn shining dazzlingly in the sun. But then Tumnus's weak smile disappeared quickly from his face as a fresh stab of pain and acute longing smote him.

He shut his eyes and buried his face against Lucy's front, feeling his tears seep into her dress and stain the expensive fabric.

But Lucy paid this no mind and only hugged him closer, and Tumnus felt her sweet hands fondle his hair and caress the back of his neck.

"There, there," Lucy soothed, "it's all right, Tumnus. It's all right…it's going to be all right…"

She threaded her fingers gently through the honey tendrils that curled over the nape of Tumnus's neck, inwardly thinking the faun could do with a bit of a trim. Tumnus never said another word, only wept profusely into Lucy's dress, until he couldn't weep anymore, until he couldn't shed another tear or choke out another sob without getting sick.

When he had settled down at last, and managed to pull himself together, Lucy lifted his chin and suggested kindly, "Why don't you go out for a little walk, Tumnus? It's a lovely day; go get some sunshine and fresh air. While you're out, I'll make us some tea and toast, and my famous gingerbread. Goodness knows you could do with a little nourishment."

Tumnus understood Lucy was trying her very best to help him feel better, and he didn't know what else to do with himself, anyway.

He was weary of idling about the castle, worn out from all this crying and grieving. With all the tears he'd shed, he was amazed he hadn't shriveled up by now.

So he nodded submissively, and murmured, "All right. Perhaps a walk will help me get my mind off Terence…at least for a while."


	3. Chapter 3

**TWO OF A KIND**

_At last, a new chapter! Man, writing is tough stuff, that's all I got to say. I expect reviews, as always (of course, it's not the end of the world if you don't), and if you are just here to flame me, go away.  
_

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_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

It was, indeed, a beautiful day, just as Lucy had said. The sun shone brightly on everything, the flowers grew thick and sweet, and the trees were ripe and heavy with fruit. The birds graced the day with their sweet music, while butterflies danced on the air, like drifting flower petals. The pleasant warmth of the sun and the gentle coolness of the breeze that blew idyllically felt wonderful on Tumnus's face, and helped to soothe the faun somewhat. The faun wandered slowly about the wood, letting his hooves guide him.

Though he exerted his utmost efforts to not focus on Terence, somehow he couldn't seem to get the unicorn out of his mind.

He remembered how Terence would often walk with him, how it was in the woods that he'd met the stallion for the first time.

He remembered how Terence had tried to hide from him at first, but then slowly emerged from the trees and bushes, allowing himself to be seen fully.

The faun recalled the feeling of awe that washed over him at the beast's white majesty, the golden splendor of his horn, the blue intensity of his eyes. Tumnus himself had blue eyes, but Terence's eyes were even bluer—they were as blue as the weeping ocean, as a pair of glowing sapphires, rimmed with long, perfect lashes. They were warm, sweet, and lively, yet strangely profound. They seemed to be always holding some sort of secret. They were like a set of clear, deep pools, taking in everything, reflecting all they saw. Even though Terence could speak as fluently as anyone Tumnus ever heard, his eyes often did most of the talking for him.

Unicorns were very rarely seen in Narnia. Where Terence had come from, or where he made his true home, no one knew. When asked, Terence would just say he'd never had much of a home, that he never truly belonged anywhere. He was here one day, and there the next day. He was, after all, not a tame unicorn. Even so, Tumnus couldn't understand why Terence would just up and leave them and not come back, most especially without saying anything. Didn't he want them anymore? Didn't he care anymore?

As terrible as it was to imagine Terence wounded or imprisoned somewhere, or dead, at least such thoughts were more bearable than the notion of Terence willfully turning his back on them and choosing to never return, of casting Tumnus aside like some scrap of waste.

Everything was catching up quickly to Tumnus. He felt that old, familiar pain rise up once again, as sharp and as potent as ever. He tried to gulp back the painful sobs that clogged his throat, but that didn't stop the tears from spilling down his face afresh. His heart started racing. His mind began spiraling out of control. The whole forest seemed to tilt, and Tumnus might have fallen had he not grabbed onto a nearby tree to steady himself. With his frail form huddled up against the tree, his forehead pressed to the rough bark, he closed his eyes and wept in silence…silence save for his occasional sniffling, and the soft, ragged gasps of his breath. His tears fell, hot and heedless, down his face and neck, clear down his bare shoulders.

Though the wretched faun hardly made much outside noise, inside he was screaming.

_Why, Terence? _he kept agonizing. _Why did you have to go? Why have you gone, and left me alone? Why, _why?

"Tumnus?" a voice spoke unexpectedly.

The voice sounded remarkably close—and remarkably familiar. With a sharp intake of breath, Tumnus immediately looked up, his eyes still streaming, his ears pricked. Looking to one side, he realized he was no longer alone, or that he had never been as alone as he'd thought in the first place. Among the dense green of the trees, about a stone's cast from him, stood a solitary figure. Blinking to clear his vision, Tumnus saw it was a man…a man unlike any he'd ever seen before in his life. This particular man had a strange distinctiveness to him.

Though he appeared quite young, his hair shone a luminous white, almost like fluid moonlight. The long beard that trailed from his chin was just as white and shining. Though he was wrapped in a simple, unadorned black cloak, he stood very straight and tall, holding himself with an unusual dignity, and a startling grace that rivaled that of a nymph or a dryad.

Tumnus had never seen such a man before, yet he seemed oddly familiar…

Taking a light step forward, the mysterious young man called out in disbelief, "Tumnus, is that you?"

How was it that this stranger knew his name, Tumnus wondered bewilderedly? Had they met before? And, there was something about the way the man spoke that caught the faun's ears. He spoke in a clear, lyrical voice: incredibly youthful, but with a lively pitch, and his lush accent was exactly like the one that Terence maintained.

In fact, Tumnus could swear—oh, no, surely he had to be mistaken!

It couldn't be—not _him_—not after all this time—certainly not in _that _shape—

As the white-haired foreigner started toward Tumnus, Tumnus impulsively turned and bolted into a run. "Tumnus!" he heard the man call urgently after him. "Wait!"

For some reason, his call only spurred Tumnus on. Never saying a word, only breathing harshly while his heart beat savagely against his ribs, the faun tore through the wood at his most feverish pace, as a terrified deer fleeing from a wolf. He hurdled nimbly over rocks and fallen logs, ducking on occasion to avoid a whiplash from a low tree branch.

Then, quite suddenly, the faun caught his right hoof in a hidden, tangled root.

With a startled cry, Tumnus stumbled and fell, landing flat on his front, the force of the blow knocking the wind clear out of him.

As he lay there on the forest floor, his face pressed into the ground, struggling for breath, struggling to control his wildly beating heart and his rapidly spinning mind, he sensed someone was standing over him. Sure enough, the young man's incredulous voice spoke from overhead: "What are you doing on the ground?"

Very slowly, Tumnus lifted his head from the earth, his sweat-streaked curls trailing limply in his eyes, and dared to look into the stranger's face. Up close, he saw that the man was very young, indeed; despite the gleaming whiteness of his hair and beard, he hardly seemed older than eighteen or nineteen. His hair spilled well over his forehead, hanging untidily yet appealingly in his lean, angular face, which would have easily won the heart of any girl. Tumnus didn't know where this boy had come from, or how he'd even managed to keep up with him.

For that matter, while Tumnus's legs and lungs burned from the exertion of the run, the youth was hardly even panting, or showing the least sign of fatigue.

"What happened?" the youth asked the faun, in his fine, tuneful accent.

"Tripped over a stupid root," Tumnus grumbled, as he continued to lie there. He tried moving his leg, which hurt considerably, but thankfully wasn't broken or too badly sprained.

"Now, why'd you have to go and do something like that?"

"I don't know!" Tumnus couldn't help snapping. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

For some reason, the white-haired boy laughed at that. It was not a cruel or mocking laugh, or even a true laugh, but more of a hearty chuckle. "Now, don't lose your fur, mate," he said with a smile that revealed perfectly straight, white teeth. "I meant, why did you run away from me like that, like I was something out to get you?"

Tumnus's ears pricked up slightly at the word "mate". Precious few people in Narnia called him that…

"Do I really look that intimidating, to you?" the foreigner continued. "Has there been some kind of threat in Narnia recently? Or, is it a custom to take off running like your tail's on fire?"

Tumnus didn't know how to answer those questions, and frankly, he didn't want to. Instead, the faun just closed his eyes, unable to help groaning a little from the pain of his fall.

The man's face grew sober. "Are you all right?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned this time.

"I'll live," Tumnus murmured, opening his eyes once more. "At least I haven't become permanently crippled."

"Here." The man bent down and offered Tumnus his hand. Tumnus somewhat hesitantly accepted it, and was pulled gently to his hooves. His right leg throbbed as he rested his weight upon it, and it buckled slightly, but it held. As Tumnus proceeded to brush off the dirt, the man commented, "That must have been a nasty fall. You need to be more careful, Tumnus."

Tumnus froze at that last bit.

"How do you know my name?" the faun demanded, narrowing his eyes at the stranger distrustfully. "Who are you?"

The young man looked taken aback, at first. But then a look of gentle concern filled his piercingly blue eyes.

"Tumnus…it's me," he said softly. "Don't you remember me?"

Tumnus just stood there, staring at him.

When the faun would say nothing, the mysterious youth said, "I was your old mate—Terence."

_Terence!_ The name struck Tumnus like a swift kick to the gut, and he nearly staggered.

For a split moment, the faun wasn't sure whether he'd heard correctly, or whether he was awake, or dreaming with his eyes open.

"No, you're not," he found himself saying out loud.

"Are you saying I'm not who I say I am?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Tumnus retorted, speaking rather tersely.

"But it _is _me, mate," the man protested. "I swear it!"

Tumnus didn't believe it. He refused to believe it.

How was it that Terence and this boy with the shimmering white hair could be the same? The idea was not only unfeasible; it was downright unnatural.

"Don't you remember how I came to you in the woods, as a unicorn, and how we became fast friends?" the boy asked.

Now Tumnus was sure he'd completely lost his mind. He had seen many strange things before in his time—but this topped them all. The faun made no response, but turned once more to leave. The boy didn't hesitate to follow him. "Tumnus!" he persisted. "Hold on there, mate! Let me explain, please—" Quite abruptly, Tumnus whirled around, startling the youth into stopping as well.

"Look," said Tumnus sharply, "I don't know who you are, or where you've come from, but you'd better leave me alone!"

"Mate…" the youth began, reaching out to lay his hand on Tumnus's shoulder.

Tumnus drew back before he could touch him. "What part of 'leave me alone' did you not understand?"

"Come on, Tumnus," said the man doggedly, "just hear me out, will you? Is this really the way for old friends to greet each other, after all these years?"

"You're no friend of mine," said Tumnus adamantly. "I've never seen anyone like you in my life!" Yet even as he spoke thus, there was something in the odd man's face that caught his eye. The more Tumnus looked at him, the more familiar the boy became, which was both confusing and unsettling. It couldn't be—no, it was impossible!

The young man looked as if someone had just slapped him.

"Tumnus…"

"Go away!" Tumnus all but shouted, not even realizing that tears had sprung up in his eyes. "I do not want to see you, nor do I want anything to do with the likes of you. Goodbye!"

With that, the faun took off in a flash, never stopping, never once looking back, heedless of the man's fervent cries behind him, unable to hold back his tears that flooded his face.

* * *

Tumnus ran all the way back to the Cair. By the time he got there, breathless and just about ready to collapse, Lucy came outside to meet him. All three of her siblings were not far behind her.

"Tumnus?" said Lucy, looking and sounding surprised. "Tumnus, what's wrong?"

"Are you all right, Tumnus?" Edmund asked, furrowing his brow in worry.

"You look discombobulated," Susan added.

Tumnus was too upset to even ask what the word "discombobulated" meant.

Lucy knew Tumnus had been out of sorts lately, but never before had she seen the faun this shaken.

Even when she was younger, when she first met him, and he confessed of his intentions to kidnap her, he wasn't nearly as distraught as this.

"What is it, Tumnus?" she asked again. "What?"

The faun could hardly speak, due to his ragged breathing, the unmanageable pounding of his heart, and the swirling emotions in his breast that threatened to choke him.

"Some…crazy lunatic…in the woods…pretending to be…acting as if he were…"

Peter made a swift beeline to him, placing his large hands firmly yet gently upon Tumnus's visibly trembling shoulders. "Calm down," the High King urged. "Just take it easy, Tumnus. Take a deep breath. In, and out…in, and out…" He made several demonstrative inhaling and exhaling sounds, and Tumnus followed his example. After a few good breaths, Tumnus was able to settle down somewhat. When Peter felt the faun was in the right condition to speak, he inquired, "Now, tell us—quietly and calmly, if you'd be so kind—what is this all about?"

"You're not going to believe this," Tumnus said. "I was out walking in the woods, minding my own business…when all of a sudden, out of the clear blue, I came across this most peculiar man."

"A man?" said Susan incredulously. "Who was he?"

"What about him?" Edmund questioned.

"I don't know who he was, but his hair was solid white, notwithstanding he was very young—hardly much older than the rest of you, I'd say."

"A young man with white hair?" Peter said, knitting his brows in disbelief.

"How very unusual," said Lucy bewilderedly.

"What's more," Tumnus continued, "he claimed that he was…that he was…" He nearly faltered, and half-swallowed the name: "T-Terence."

"_Terence?_" Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all said at the same time, their voices blending into one.

"Are you serious?" Lucy gasped.

Edmund shook his head and added, "No, that couldn't be!"

"I don't believe it!" said Susan.

"Are you sure about this?" Peter asked Tumnus skeptically. "Or, do you think you just might have been seeing and hearing things?"

Before Tumnus could answer, a voice sounded in the near distance. "Tumnus!" the voice was crying. "Tumnus! _Tumnus!_"

To Tumnus's great dismay, he looked over his shoulder to see that the white-haired man he was just referring to was swiftly heading their way. The others saw him, too.

So it hadn't been an illusion, after all.

"Oh, no," Tumnus groaned, bending his head and covering his face with his palm.

When the young man caught up with them, Peter parked his large body in front of him, blocking his way.

"Who are you?" Peter inquired, looking the boy squarely in the eye. "What is your business here, stranger?"

The white-haired youth, who was as tall as Peter, though not quite as powerfully built, began, "I was following Tumnus, and I—"

But then he stopped mid-sentence, and stared at Peter as if he were seeing a ghost.

"Peter?" he said incredulously. "Is…is that you?"

"I'm the only Peter I know of," Peter said, perplexed.

"As in, High King Peter, of Narnia?"

Peter didn't know what sort of tricks this man was up to, but he answered, "Yes, that would be me."

Then the man's entire face lit up, like the sun at midday. "I don't believe it!" he cried. Turning to the others, he said elatedly, "Then you must be Susan, Edmund—and Lucy!"

"Have we met before?" asked Edmund, lifting an eyebrow in a question mark.

"How do you know our names?" Susan demanded.

"I know _you_."

Now everyone stood stone-still, not daring to believe it. Tumnus slowly looked up from his hand, but he remained as silent and motionless as the rest of them.

Then Lucy was the first to break the ice.

"Terence?" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Is it truly…?"

With his head held high, his eyes clear and unwavering, the man replied, "In the flesh."


	4. Chapter 4

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Here it is, a brand-new chapter, fresh off the grill! (Well, fresh off my imagination, or whatever, but you get the point.) I'm nothing short of pumped to have this updated again, at long last.  
_

_I'd strongly advise keeping some tissues handy; this here is a real heart-render, most especially towards the end.  
_

_

* * *

_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4  
**

"By the Lion's Golden Mane!" Edmund whispered, thunderstruck. Susan neither moved nor spoke at all, but had her eyes been any bigger, they would have stretched beyond the moon. Tumnus remained completely still and utterly silent himself, as though he were a statue in the White Witch's courtyard all over again.

Lucy stared long and hard at the young man before them, absorbing his face like a sponge. Looking into the boy's eyes, Lucy saw that they were the exact same color as Terence's eyes, and held that same vivacious spark, that same depth of mystery. While his hair was much shorter, his bangs were just as long and thick; also, both his hair and his goatee had the same silky fineness, and shone with the same white luster. Furthermore, his grace and poise easily exceeded that of any man she saw in her life. Not even Peter stood like that.

As for Peter, he ultimately decided that if this man truly was Terence, they would need proof. "All right, then," said the High King, folding his arms in front of him and eyeing the silver-haired youth shrewdly, "if you are who you say you are, permit us to ask a few personal questions—questions that only Terence can answer," he added emphatically.

The boy merely shrugged his shoulders, and answered compliantly, "Okay, ask away."

Peter, naturally, started it off. "When we met Terence for the first time, what kind of creature was he?"

"Why, a unicorn, of course." The boy said it like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's Terence's favorite food?" inquired Edmund.

"Fresh strawberries with cream—though I wouldn't say no to some nice, fresh apples, or a few fig cakes with honey and nuts, either."

Getting into it, Susan interrogated, "What are Terence's favorite colors?"

"Blue, green, white, gold, and silver. I'm rather fond of purple, as well."

Lucy asked, "How old is Terence?"

"One hundred and fifty—one hundred and fifty-seven, to be precise."

_He's good, _Tumnus had to admit to himself. Lucy and her siblings were also impressed with this man's knowledge. They started asking him questions that were a little more complex.

"What's the name of our castle?" Edmund asked.

"Cair Paravel."

"What are our full names and royal titles?" Susan probed.

"Peter James Pevensie, the Magnificent; Susan Anna Pevensie, the Gentle; Edmund Cedric Pevensie, the Just; and Lucy Marie Pevensie, the Valiant."

"What are the names of our four royal horses?" Lucy questioned.

"Ares, Phillip, Landon, and Candance. Peter rides Ares, Edmund rides Phillip—who is one of the Talking Horses—and Landon belongs to Susan. Candance was a gift to Lucy from Peter."

Even Tumnus mustered the nerve to give voice to a question. "What do I take in my tea?" the faun queried.

"Honey, lemon, and cinnamon; and often with a touch of chamomile, for that extra pinch of flavor."

Finally, Peter asked, "What did we do for Lucy's tenth birthday?"

They were convinced the boy could never get this one, especially Tumnus. To their utmost surprise, the boy answered promptly, "You held a big dance party for her, in the grand ballroom of the Cair. Every creature of Narnia that could fit in the castle was there. There were flowers scattered all over the place, and you had a big ice sculpture, an orchestra, and everything. Peter led the first dance with Lucy." He chuckled as he added on, "I remember she stood on his feet the whole time, so she wouldn't keep stepping on them while they danced about."

Lucy's face flushed warmly at the memory.

The white-haired youth continued, "I also remember Lucy wore a blue dress that day, and a crown of white flowers in her hair. The cake was white, with pink icing—"

"A-ha!" Peter cut him off abruptly. "You are wrong, sir; the icing on that cake was white, with large white roses."

"No, that was for her eleventh birthday," the man said, unperturbedly. "I know, because Lucy wore a white dress to match it."

Everyone else exchanged looks of total bewilderment with one another. "He's right," Edmund said, after a moment of stunned silence.

Nobody knew what to say after that. There was no way in the world this foreigner could have answered every last one of those questions, straight off the bat, unless…unless he was telling the truth, and this strange boy with the strange hair standing in their presence actually _was_ their long-lost friend. However, a small, adamant part of Tumnus yet refused to accept such a ludicrous, far-fetched thing. Even if this boy could guess correctly, the faun thought, that still didn't prove anything. Peter, Susan, and Edmund all harbored similar qualms as well.

Even Lucy, who had always been a figure of faith, felt the gnaw of doubt.

Though not another word was spoken, the young man could somehow read their minds.

"If you still don't believe me," he said to them, "perhaps this will convince you that I am who I am."

So saying, he lifted a hand and swept back his lengthy, luminous bangs that seemed to be constantly in his face.

There, on his forehead, just a little above his left eye, there was a small jewel-blue mark, shaped like the moon. It was the exact mark that Terence had always maintained, his whole life. Now all eyes essentially bugged out at the sight, all jaws dropped loose, and all hearts started racing out of control. Susan placed one hand over her open mouth and took a small step backward, while Peter and Edmund's faces both gave off the impression of having just beheld a ghost. As for Tumnus, he not only looked like he'd seen a ghost, but he was as pale as one, too.

As Lucy's bewildered gaze entangled with the boy's, a faint smile played on his lips.

It had to be—there was no way to deny it now.

"Terence!" Lucy said again, louder and more exuberantly this time, her face positively aglow. "It _is _you!"

With that, she made a hasty beeline to him, taking care to lift the hem of her dress, and was immediately swept into his enthusiastic embrace. Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks as she fervently squeezed him back. Terence, now that he was human himself, shed a good number of tears of his own. With a sob in his throat, he closed his eyes tightly and held Lucy as if he would never let her go. Lucy felt his tears wet the costly fabric of her dress, but she paid it no mind; she knew perfectly well she was causing just as much damage, if not more, to his cloak.

By the time they finally peeled themselves away from each other, Lucy said, making noises that ranged somewhere between laughing and sobbing, "Oh, Terence—my dear, dear Terence! I never thought I would see you again! Oh, this is almost too wonderful to be real!" Looking him over, she raved on, "My heavens, how you've changed! I barely recognize you!"

"You've changed a great deal, too, Lucy." Terence smiled tearfully as he noted how much the girl had matured since he last saw her. "You've gotten so big; I hardly recognize you, myself."

When he turned to face the others, who were still in a state of considerable shock, Susan gasped, "By Tarva and Alambil, Terence, what _happened_ to you?"

"How did you ever get like this?" Edmund asked.

"You used to walk the earth on all fours," added Peter, in equal awe, "and now—now, you're like—well, like one of _us!_"

With a weak chuckle, Terence replied ruefully, "It's a long, long story. If I told you, you would think I was out of my mind…even more so than you did before."

He now glanced in Tumnus's direction. "Tumnus, old friend, do you know me, now?"

Tumnus said nothing, being at an utter loss for words. He didn't know what to say, or what to think. His heart was torn so many different ways; his mind was aswirl with a thousand troublesome thoughts. There was no further reason to doubt that Terence was here (in some form), that he had come back to Narnia, but it was still almost impossible to believe.

Part of Tumnus was overwhelmed at the radical change that had come upon his friend, and at the pure, simple fact that this had finally happened, that Terence had returned after all these years. Another part of the faun was overjoyed, and greatly relieved, to see that Terence was alive and well. But another part was angry—furious, even—that Terence would dare show his face to them again after being away for so long, never letting them know of his whereabouts, never keeping in touch, leaving them to agonize over where he was and what had happened to him.

It was the anger that ultimately won out.

When Terence started to approach Tumnus, Tumnus, instead of moving forward to receive him, only backed further away. "How dare you," the faun said, through gritted teeth. The unexpected words, and the unexpected coldness in Tumnus's tone, startled Terence into halting in his tracks yet again. Lucy was surprised, too, as were the others.

"Tumnus?" said Terence tentatively.

"How dare you!" Tumnus repeated, speaking louder and more severely this time, his face flushing a noteworthy shade of red. "How _dare_ you, Terence!"

Lucy was shocked to hear Tumnus talk that way to his best friend. Neither Edmund, Susan, nor Peter had known Tumnus to act like this before, around anyone. Terence just stood still, silent and submissive yet strangely dignified before Tumnus's outburst, though his face was clearly stricken. "Where in the name of Narnia have you _been?_" Tumnus demanded hotly.

"I am here now," was all Terence could think of to say.

Then Tumnus laughed, but it was a bitter, cynical laugh, one that held five years' worth of grief and pain.

"And where were you, five years ago?" the faun challenged Terence, when he could speak again. "Thought you could drop out of our lives and then drop back in just like that, did you?"

This apparently struck home, and Terence faltered. "I…I…"

"Thought you could simply walk out on us, without saying one blasted word, and leave us—leave _me_," Tumnus fumed. "Leave me, your most intimate friend, worrying to death about you, wondering if you were still living and breathing, wondering if you even cared anymore, wondering why you went and left me behind…wondering what I did wrong." Everyone noticed that Tumnus was progressively losing steam throughout his rant; by the time he reached the bit of speculating what he could have done wrong, his shoulders had drooped lower than usual, most of the vivid color had receded from his face, and he spoke in a low, soft voice, through which obvious hurt was revealed.

Terence said nothing, having been stunned into dead silence by this tirade. Lucy and her siblings were nothing short of speechless, themselves.

Tumnus caught his breath, struggling to hold back the fresh tears that were threatening to fall.

"I thought you loved me, Terence," he half-croaked. "I thought I was your best friend. I thought that meant something to you."

"But you _are _my best friend," Terence finally answered, looking and sounding deeply wounded as well.

"If you were truly my friend, you wouldn't have deserted me, the way you did." Out of all that Tumnus had thrown out at Terence thus far, this proved to be the sharpest barb of all. Now Lucy felt the sting of tears in her own eyes, whereas Susan and the boys remained immobile, unable to find their tongues, sorrow and disbelief visibly etched into their every feature.

Terence was crushed, but that didn't stop the young man from advancing on Tumnus again.

"Oh, Tumnus," he whispered, opening his arms as if to embrace the faun.

But Tumnus turned away. "Don't touch me," he said, his voice cracking like a piece of brittle glass, the tears flowing freely. "Don't come anywhere near me, Terence. Just get out of here. Get out of here, and leave me be." With that, the faun closed his eyes, buried his tormented face in his hands, and blindly made his way into the Cair.


	5. Chapter 5

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Wow, this is the quickest update for this story, thus far. Once I posted that last chapter, I just started writing like crazy. As of right now, this is my all-time favorite chapter of the whole bunch. _

_Read for yourselves and see, but be forewarned: emotions get pretty messy in this one.  
_

_

* * *

_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5  
**

"Oh, dear," said Susan softly when Tumnus had disappeared from their sight.

Terence only stood where he was for a short time, then he closed his eyes and bowed his head to his chest in defeat, sighing heavily.

"Don't worry, Terence," Lucy said, gently linking her arm with the young man's arm and stroking his shoulder with her free hand in an attempt to reassure him. "I'm sure Tumnus didn't mean it. He was just…upset."

"I can't say I blame him, though," said Terence in a low voice. "I'd never realized he'd missed me this badly."

"We all missed you very much," Lucy informed him. "We didn't know where you could be, and there was no way of knowing for certain that you were all right."

"Tumnus has been a real wreck these days," said Edmund, stepping into the conversation. "He was nothing short of devastated without you, Terence. It's a miracle his grief hadn't killed him."

Lifting his face somewhat, Terence said sadly, "But now that I'm here, Tumnus won't even see me, let alone talk to me. What am I supposed to do, now?"

"Just give him time," Peter said. "It surely was a nasty shock to him, as it was—and still is—to all of us, to suddenly see you again after you disappeared…and especially like this." He made a brief gesture at Terence's human form.

"I'm sorry," said Terence ruefully to the entire group. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long. And I'm sorry I lost touch with you all. Can you forgive me? Can we start over, and be friends?"

Lucy smiled at him and willingly hugged him again. "I'm in favor of that," she said.

"So am I," said Edmund, now smiling himself as he went over and gave Terence a genial pat on the back.

Peter and Susan both agreed. "You are to stay here with us, at the Cair," Peter insisted. "Our home is your home. You'll be our guest of honor."

"Thank you, Peter," said Terence, managing a partial smile. "It will truly be an honor."

* * *

All the rest of that day, Tumnus shut himself up in his room. This was nothing new, of course, except everyone else was baffled about why Tumnus was evading Terence, when Terence was right there in the castle. If the faun missed his friend so much, why was he going out of his way to stay away from him now? Surely the faun should rejoice that the old unicorn lived, and had come back. Some at the Cair could not get over the shock of seeing Terence with an entirely different body, but most were genuinely pleased to see him. The Beavers were particularly thrilled. "Oh, Terence," Mrs. Beaver gushed to the boy, "I just can't believe it's you! I never thought to see you again."

"It's wonderful to see you again, too, Mrs. Beaver," said Terence warmly, and he knelt down so that they could embrace one another.

Old Beaver said, in his rich, slightly sticky accent, "If I didn't see with me own eyes or hear with me own ears, I'd never believe it was you, old boy. In fact, even now, I still can't believe it."

No doubt everyone was burning to know everything that came about Terence during his years of nonexistence in Narnia, but Terence was in no condition to tell them, and Peter saw to it that the boy wasn't hounded.

More than anybody else, it was Tumnus that Terence longed to see. But the faun's door remained locked, and though several people called to him, beckoning him to come out, the faun never answered.

Towards the end of the day, Lucy knocked on Tumnus's door herself, hoping that she might be able to talk to the faun, to soften him up some.

"Tumnus," she said mildly, "it's me. Will you let me in? Please let me in."

Somehow, Tumnus couldn't bring himself to refuse Lucy, and after some hesitancy, the door was slowly dragged aside, inch by inch.

When Tumnus's face was finally revealed, he was quite a sight, indeed. He looked very sickly. With his thoroughly bloodshot eyes, his limp, tangled curls, and his face all but wasted and whiter than a sheet, Lucy hardly knew him anymore. Tumnus never said a word, but stepped dutifully to the side and allowed Lucy to enter. Lucy never hung back. "Tumnus," she said solicitously once she was in the room with him, "are you all right? You look positively dreadful."

"Terence is still here, isn't he?" said Tumnus in a husky voice. "He's right here in the Cair, isn't he?" It was more of a statement than a downright question.

"Of course, he is," Lucy said, surprised and stung. "Peter's invited him to stay, and Terence agreed. The castle is now his home, as much as it is yours."

Tumnus only gave out a groan and dropped into the nearest chair, next to the empty fireplace, his face in his hands.

"That insolent rogue just can't take a hint, can he?" he bemoaned. "Hasn't he tortured me enough already?"

Lucy moved carefully around him and knelt directly in front of the chair. "But Tumnus," she protested, "surely you wouldn't really want Terence to leave, would you? After he's come such a long way, and most especially after his long absence?"

Tumnus said nothing to this, only sank his head further into his hands.

"I thought you'd be glad to know for yourself that he's alive," Lucy continued. "Yes, I'll admit he's changed, but in all the important ways, he's still Terence. I thought you missed him, that you would have given anything to see him again."

"I thought I did," Tumnus muttered, looking up very slowly from his palms, his expression a mixture of confusion and incredible sadness. "But now, I'm not so sure anymore."

"You've got your best friend back," Lucy persisted. "Isn't that enough, Tumnus? What more do you want?"

Tumnus's eyes shone with a new layer of tears, and his face looked more tragic than anything Lucy had ever seen.

"I don't know, Lucy," the faun said mournfully, his shoulders sagging, his tears spilling freely. He let his head drop into his hands once more as he wept, "I just don't understand why Terence wasn't there for me when I needed him most."

Laying her hand gently against Tumnus's knee, Lucy said softly, "Begging your pardon, Tumnus, but I believe the question ought to be—why did Terence come back?"

This apparently caught Tumnus's interest, for the faun's head jerked up yet again. His eyes continued to swim in a pool of tears, and amid the waves of overwhelming sorrow, there was a subtle hint of perplexity. Lucy now reached for Tumnus's hand, twining her fingers in his, as she told him, "If Terence didn't care about you, or about any of us, would he have bothered to return to Narnia in the first place? Don't you think he's missed you as much as you've missed him?"

Tumnus became very still at these questions. In his mind's eye, he could see the look on Terence's face from that afternoon. He recalled how Terence chased him relentlessly through the forest, all the way to the castle itself.

He recalled how passionately Terence had embraced Lucy when she'd gone to him, and how freely he'd wept with her.

Terence really _had _missed them, it dawned on Tumnus.

He truly must have; he wouldn't have done any of those things otherwise.

"No one is perfect, you know," said Lucy when Tumnus didn't speak, "not even me. All of us make mistakes at one point or another. I missed Terence terribly, too. My grief at being separated from him was almost as great as yours. But I rejoice in his return; I rejoice at knowing that we are together again, that we have a chance to start fresh. Don't let this precious opportunity go to waste, Tumnus. If you love Terence, hold fast to him; fight for him. Don't let your pride stand in the way of telling someone you love and care about that you want him back." Tumnus felt these eloquent and infinitely wise words weave their way into his heart, breaking his shield of resistance.

They melted something deep within him, and the runoff emerged through his eyes. The faun still could not speak, but he was quivering noticeably, from his petal-shaped ears to his cloven hooves. His breathing sounded in weak, ragged sobs.

Right at that moment, Lucy became aware that they were no longer alone. When she turned her head to the side, she saw that Terence himself stood by the door—which had, conveniently enough, been left open a considerable crack.

Though a man, Terence evidently maintained the stealth of a unicorn.

Lucy could not tell how long he had been standing there, watching her and Tumnus and listening to their conversation, but he seemed to have heard enough.

When Tumnus saw his old mate, his posture stiffened only slightly, and all he said was, "Terence."

"May I come in?" Terence petitioned.

Tumnus didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either, so Terence tentatively moved a little further into the room.

He had long since removed his cloak, and Tumnus saw that the young man was dressed in simple but very fine clothes. Terence wore a black, skin-tight tunic with long sleeves, under a sleek, much more loose-fitting blue frock trimmed with gold, with a black leather belt tied around his lean waist. A piece of some heavy, dark blue cloth draped casually around his shoulders, like a shawl; a pair of jet-black hosiery hugged his long, slim, well-formed legs, and finally, on his feet, he sported a fine pair of brown ankle boots that fit quite nicely. Lucy promptly rose up from the floor and went to Terence, but Tumnus stayed put. He saw Lucy whisper something into Terence's ear, then she patted the young man on the shoulder, as if to wish him luck, before she headed out of the room. She made sure to close the door all the way behind her as she left, so that Terence and Tumnus could have some peace.

There was a long, awkward silence between the two friends. Tumnus merely looked at Terence, and Terence stared intently back with those soulful, overwhelmingly blue eyes of his. Tears continued to ooze steadily down Tumnus's cheeks, but the faun never made a sound. In the end, Terence was the one to break the uncanny silence. "Tumnus, we need to talk."

Tumnus said nothing.

"Come on, old mate," Terence persisted when Tumnus turned away from him. "Will you just listen to me? Will you at least hear me out?"

Still, Tumnus would not answer. Terence walked all the way over to him—or floated over, more or less. The man was so light on his feet that they seemed to barely touch the floor.

He settled quietly onto the armrest of the chair Tumnus was in, and there he remained, very still and perfectly poised. He did not attempt to touch Tumnus in any way, though he looked like he very much wanted to. Even then, Tumnus held his tongue and never spoke. Notwithstanding Terence was right beside him, the faun wouldn't look at the boy, either. Terence's shoulders drooped, and a look of immense sorrow clouded his eyes.

"Please, Tumnus," he now whispered, as if imploring for mercy, "don't do this. I've come all this way to see you. Don't reject me now."

Solid pain was engraved almost indelibly into Tumnus's face. His anger was gone, but not his frustration.

When the faun did finally peer up at Terence, when he found his tongue, he said hoarsely, "Where have you been, Terence, all this time? _Where were you?_"

Terence sighed deeply, and covered his face with his hands.

With his hands over his face, the young man slowly and sorrowfully shook his head from side to side, a good number of times, before he lifted his head and opened his eyes again. "As I have said before, Tumnus," he said in a soft, weary tone, "it's a very long story…perhaps too long a story to tell in one sitting, and much of it I have no desire to recall. If everything that's come about me these past five years was written down in books, I doubt your library could hold them all."

"Why did you leave?" protested Tumnus.

"I didn't mean to," Terence said, looking, sounding, and feeling like a small child caught doing something wrong. "Something just _happened_, that's all. Somehow, my life ended up taking a different course."

He spent the next half-hour or so telling Tumnus what he felt the faun needed to know, never going into much detail—because, as he said, it was a story far too long and too complex to tell at once—but giving Tumnus a general idea of where he'd been, what he'd been up to, and how he went from unicorn to human. Even with the sparse details, Tumnus found the boy's story overpowering, and he found himself shedding more tears than ever.

When Terence was finished, for the time being, Tumnus couldn't speak or move from that spot, at least not right away.

Finally Terence bowed his head, and said in his humblest voice, "Forgive me, Tumnus. I know that I hurt you…and if there was some way I could take away the pain, I'd do so in a heartbeat."

The plea seemed sincere, and Tumnus felt his heart go out to his old friend, genuine compassion replacing the bitterness within him. It was also the faun's turn to feel shame this time—shame for not listening to Terence before, for being angry with him, for nearly sending him away several times. He sickened to think about how close he'd come to losing Terence all over again.

Perhaps it was a good thing the young unicorn had a stubborn streak about him, after all.

"I want to come back," Terence went on earnestly, "if you'll still have me."

"Yes," Tumnus ultimately found himself saying. "Yes, Terence…yes, of course, you can come back." The moment these words passed his lips, he knew them to be true.

Terence looked up, his countenance hopeful, and Tumnus quietly confessed, "I…I missed you."

"I missed you, too, mate. More than you know."

"I've been worried about you. I was terribly afraid something might have happened to you, and I wasn't there."

"Well, I was in a few tight spots here and there," Terence admitted, "but I managed to make it through all right."

"I thought you'd left me forever," said Tumnus as tears continued to slide down his skin, "or worse, forgotten all about me."

The look Terence gave him was enough to stop his heart. There wasn't the least degree of anger or resentment in that look—only devastating sadness.

"I could _never_ forget you, Tumnus," said Terence in an unusually hushed voice. "How can you say that? You're my best friend, one of the very few and very dearest friends I have ever had in my life. More than a friend, you're my brother. You're a literal part of me." Tears of his own shone like diamonds in his sapphire eyes as he added in a whisper, "I love you."

Those last three words were all it took to crush Tumnus completely. He almost couldn't believe his ears. Terence just said that he loved him, actually _loved _him. Not just as a friend, and not just as a brother, either.

_I love you_—as pure and simple as that.

Certainly, Tumnus had heard such words many times in his life. But hearing them from Terence in this manner…they took on a much deeper, more hallowed meaning. The faun's tears poured forth in a thick, steady flood, and his throat was so tight he could scarcely breathe. Lucy was right; friendship, true, honest friendship, was a treasure too priceless to lose. How could Tumnus have almost let it get away from him?

As much as it had wounded him to have Terence gone, somehow that didn't matter anymore. He was here now. Though changed, he was still Terence.

Their paths had crossed once more. What more could Tumnus ask for than this?

"Oh, Terence," was all Tumnus could say before he lost it altogether.

He never held back anymore. He forthwith seized onto Terence, hugging him as tightly as he had the strength, weeping hysterically. He squeezed so hard that his arms ached.

Terence let the faun hold him, and never once pulled away. He willingly returned the fervent embrace, without the least bit of hesitation.

This made Tumnus realize something.

As a unicorn, Terence had never been able to hug him. He'd just stand perfectly still on all fours, or lie quietly on the ground, and allow Tumnus to cling to his neck. He would often nuzzle the faun's hair, and occasionally lick his forehead.

But now, Terence had arms that he could actually wrap Tumnus in, and he could hold Tumnus the way Tumnus held him.

Now he had hands that could fondle and caress Tumnus, and the young man did exactly that. While one hand rested on the nape of the faun's neck, where Tumnus's curly hair started to make a trail down his back, the other moved over the faun's lower back in light, soothing circles. Tumnus's tears seeped steadily into the youth's clothes, which was not good for the expensive material, but Terence didn't seem to care.

He only held Tumnus closer, rocking him as gently as a mother rocking her distressed child. Tumnus felt a kiss from Terence brush against his hair, and though the faun could not see it, Terence was shedding a fair number of tears as well.

By the time Tumnus couldn't cry anymore, when he at last began to settle down, he felt incredibly weak, yet somehow refreshed, as if a cool, sweet rain had cleansed him.

With his forehead still bowed against Terence's front, he slowly breathed in the man's scent. He smelled like the woods, like fresh pine and cedar, mingled with acacia and lilac, and Tumnus could swear he caught a trace of violets, too.

Terence had always smelled unusually good for a unicorn, and he still retained most of that smell.

The two remained together that way, wrapped in each other's arms, for a long time. Terence seemed in no hurry to leave; and quite frankly, Tumnus didn't want him to ever leave.

He'd already lost the unicorn once; he didn't intend to lose him again.

"Don't go, Terence," he pleaded. "Please, I beg you, d-don't walk out of my life again. I-I didn't mean what I said earlier today. I didn't mean any one of those…those cruel things."

"I know you didn't," Terence soothed him. "Don't worry, Tumnus. I'm not going anywhere."


	6. Chapter 6

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Here we are again! As my birthday was yesterday, this marks my first written piece at my new age. Just so you know, I'm now 22. (Dang, I'm getting old! I've almost reached a quarter of a century!) My birthday was kind of quiet and not very eventful. Still, you're not 22 every day. And while the day itself may be over, the celebrations continue to go on! _

_

* * *

_**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

**Song ****© Annie Lennox  
**

_**All rights reserved.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6  
**

By then, Tumnus had essentially cried himself out. He never would have realized it was possible to have wept this much, especially in the space of one day. He felt completely worn out, as if someone had opened a spigot in him and drained him. In the warmth of Terence's arms, the faun found himself beginning to slowly nod off.

Terence could tell his friend was exhausted, and so he quietly helped Tumnus to his hooves, letting the faun lean against his shoulder for support.

Without a word, he guided his companion to the bed, and obligingly pulled back the covers himself when they reached it. Tumnus was only half-aware of Terence laying him down gently on the feather-soft mattress, which was heaven to his weak and aching body. Terence tucked the faun in like a child, and even covered him with an extra blanket and adjusted one of the pillows to make sure Tumnus would be comfortable. After he had done this, he tenderly smoothed back the faun's curly hair some, before he turned to leave.

Before he'd taken two steps, however, Tumnus said thickly, "Terence."

Immediately, Terence stopped and gave his mate his full attention. "What?"

Holding out a hand beseechingly to the youth, Tumnus implored, "Please stay. Don't leave me alone. Will you stay, Terence? Please?"

Terence smiled, a look of brotherly tenderness emanating from his eyes.

"All right," he said softly, as he took Tumnus's outstretched hand. "You talked me into it, mate."

Luckily, there was another chair available, near the bed, so Terence drew it up just a little further before he eased himself into it, so that he was next to Tumnus's head.

There, he sat very quietly, his hand still clasping Tumnus's, while Tumnus felt himself sink into the soft depths of sleep. At length, Terence began to sing to him. The youth had a superb voice, somewhere in the high range, enhanced by his lilting accent. The song that he gently crooned as he kept Tumnus company was rather simple, but overpoweringly sweet:

_"Lay down your sweet and weary head,  
Night is falling; you have come to journey's end  
Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before  
They are calling from across a distant shore._

_"Why do you weep?  
What are these tears upon your face?  
Soon you will see  
All of your fears will pass away.  
Safe in my arms,  
You're only sleeping._

_"What can you see on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea, a pale moon rises  
The ships have come to carry you home._

_"And all will turn to silver glass  
A light on the water  
All souls pass__—_

_"Hope fades into the world of night,  
Through shadows falling out of memory and time.  
Don't say we have come now to the end  
White shores are calling; you and I will meet again._

_"And you'll be here in my arms,  
Just sleeping._

_"What can you see on the horizon?  
Why do the white gulls call?  
Across the sea, a pale moon rises  
The ships have come to carry you home._

_"And all will turn to silver glass  
A light on the water  
Gray ships pass  
Into the west."_

Tumnus was already lost in sleep by the time Terence reached the end. The faun's eyes were closed, his breathing slow, deep, and even.

Even so, Terence stayed with him.

* * *

When Tumnus came around some hours later and woke up, he did not open his eyes right away. Though he could sense it was morning, he still kept his eyes closed. _It was all a dream,_ he thought. _Terence coming back to me, in the form of a man, was nothing more than a wishful fantasy._ He could feel someone's hand on his, and figured Lucy, Susan, or somebody else must have kept watch over him. His heart sank like a stone; he knew it was too good to be true, seeing Terence again and all that.

He'd dreamed of Terence many times before, but if actually meeting with his old mate had all been a trick, a false impression…he would surely die on the spot.

However, when Tumnus did ultimately find the courage to open his eyes, he saw none other than Terence himself, in his human shape, sleeping peacefully in the chair next to him. The youth's head tilted slightly to one side, and his hand, though its grip had loosened, still covered Tumnus's protectively. At first, Tumnus was surprised.

Then, for the first time in ages, pure joy swelled up within him, like a balloon.

So, it _was_ true, after all!

Terence was alive and well, and he truly had come back. Tumnus nearly pinched himself, just to be sure that he was awake, that this was the real thing.

At that moment, Terence began to stir. The young man let out a faint yawn as he shifted his position on the chair, and he lifted both his hands to his face and kneaded his eyes tiredly. When he dropped his hands a minute later, he still looked significantly drowsy, but a genuine smile graced his lips when he saw Tumnus.

"Well, hello, Tumnus," he greeted the faun good-naturedly. "It's about time you joined the world of the living."

"How long have I been asleep?" Tumnus asked. Slowly, he struggled to a sitting position, causing his blankets to fall into a heap in his lap.

"Long enough," said Terence, noting the flood of golden light streaming in through the window.

Tumnus estimated it must be at least seven o' clock in the morning, perhaps a quarter past that. That meant he had to have slept for nearly twelve hours.

"Believe me, mate," Terence said, "when you sleep, you sleep like a rock. I doubt a blast of thunder would have woken you up."

"And you stayed with me the whole time?"

"Of course. You didn't think I'd simply take off and leave you in your condition, did you?"

Touched, a smile spread over Tumnus's face, and though he did not weep, at least the way he'd wept before, his eyes still brimmed with moisture.

"Oh, Terence," was all he could find to say, a catch in his voice.

Indeed, only a real friend would have done what Terence had done.

"Now, you're not going to get all syrupy on me again, are you?" Terence half-teased. "You keep this up for much longer, and you're going to drown the whole castle."

Tumnus laughed, heartily and vigorously, the first time he'd done so in longer than he could remember. "Perish the thought," he chuckled thickly, as he dabbed at his eyes.

Terence stood up and stretched, feeling rather stiff, which was typical for someone who'd spent the whole night in a chair. Tumnus eased out of bed and stood on his own hooves, feeling a great deal better than he had in ages. He felt relieved, revitalized, and, surprisingly, hungry. His appetite had come back, full force, and he felt he could eat a griffin.

"I hope you weren't bored to death, Terence," he said, "keeping an eye on me all night."

"You snore," Terence replied, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "And you talk in your sleep."

"Really?" Tumnus wasn't sure whether to believe this or not. "What do I say?"

Terence stroked his beard. "Ah, nothing of great importance. Just how lovely you think Lucy is, as well as how great and wonderful you think I am, and how you wish you were more like me…"

"You big liar! I never said anything of the kind!"

"How would you know?" said Terence slyly. "You've never actually heard yourself converse in your sleep, have you, mate?"

Tumnus narrowed his eyes and leveled off his ears in annoyance, but then he couldn't help himself, and broke into another laugh.

"Well," he smiled, "I can certainly see you have not lost your wit, Terence."

Terence grinned back. It felt wonderful to gibe with each other again.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. "Tumnus?" Lucy's concerned voice called from the other side. "Terence? Is everything all right in there?"

"Everything is fine, Lucy," Tumnus called back. Upon saying this, he knew it with all his heart to be true.

"It's nearly the breakfast hour," Lucy informed them. "Will you be able to join us?"

"Don't worry," Terence answered her, "we'll be out shortly." He turned to his mate, and said, "What do you say, Tumnus? You in the mood for eating?"

"Yes, I am," Tumnus admitted. "Quite famished, really."

Terence could tell from the sight of the faun that he hadn't eaten properly in the last few days. Having traveled a long distance, the young man was feeling rather ravenous himself.

"But I think it'd be a good idea to freshen up a bit, first," said Tumnus, raking his fingers somewhat ruefully through his mop of hair.

"Oh, yes, that's a _very_ good idea," said Terence, with a not-so-subtle hint of shrewdness, and Tumnus gave the boy a shove.

"You imp!" Tumnus chided. His tone was stern, but his eyes, which until now had resembled poorly lit tunnels, were all but aglow.


	7. Chapter 7

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Welcome back, mates! Here we are, with a fresh chapter! I'm as thrilled for this thing to be updated as you are. _

_This chapter was a lot of fun; there's a bit more action packed in here, and there's a moment of pure sweetness at the very end. Hope you like what you read, and I look forward to your feedback!  
_

* * *

**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

After taking some time to bathe, and give his unruly hair and beard a decent trim, Tumnus sat down to breakfast with the Four Monarchs in the dining hall. Terence joined them.

It was an excellent meal, with all the trimmings. Lucy was very pleased to see Tumnus clean his entire plate, and even manage fourth helpings; it had been ages since she last saw the faun that hungry.

But it was Terence with which she and her siblings were most impressed. This was the first time they'd seen him use a fork, knife, and spoon, and it was incredible how well he managed. Tumnus was equally astonished at his mate's conduct—how neatly he cut up his meat, how carefully he ladled his porridge into his spoon, how he ate and drank so daintily that he never spilled a drop or a crumb. It was as if he'd always dined at a table, all his life.

"Not bad," Tumnus commented at one point as they watched Terence sip his porridge. "Not bad at all."

"What?" Terence asked, looking up briefly from his bowl. "The food, or my table manners?"

"The way you move about," said Lucy without hesitation. "The porridge is appalling."

This made them all laugh, including Peter, who chuckled heartily, "Don't let the cook hear you say that, Lu."

Terence just shrugged and replied, "It tastes all right to me."

"But your manners really are quite exceptional, Terence," said Susan, "considering what you are."

"Thanks." After a moment, the white-haired boy added on, "You should have seen what it was like, the first time I ate at a table." He shook his head in chagrin. "It was a mess."

That sent everyone into another laughing fit. "Oh, dear," Lucy giggled, "I can only imagine!"

"Certainly took a bit of practice to get the technique right, I'll tell you that," Terence admitted. "Everyone must have thought I was insane."

They laughed one more time, and Tumnus was amazed at how good it sounded, and felt, to laugh again.

For the first time in five years, everything seemed right with the world—the sun brighter and warmer, the air sweeter, the sky a clearer, deeper blue. It was as though a tremendous weight had been lifted off Tumnus's heart.

Already, he began to feel like his old self once more.

* * *

After breakfast was over, Peter and Edmund went out into one of the royal courtyards for their daily sword practice with Oreius.

Ultimately, Terence came to join them. The unicorn youth stood off to the side and watched intently as the two young kings jousted with one another, parrying one another's blows, and moving all about the yard in a show of extraordinary skill and speed, while Oreius supervised them. It was clear from a glance that both men were experts with the sword, though Peter somehow managed to retain the upper hand.

When they stopped for a temporary respite, Oreius cuffed Peter and Edmund on their shoulders at the same time and commended, "Well done, both of you."

"Well, we've learned from the best," Peter said, smiling up at the big black centaur.

That was when Terence stepped into the scene. "That was an impressive display," the white-haired boy remarked. "Especially with you, Peter."

"Peter is the best swordsman in Narnia," said Edmund as he wiped perspiration off his brow. "Next to Oreius, that is."

"Is that so?" Terence arched one eyebrow significantly at Peter.

"I don't often speak of myself," said Peter as he juggled Rhindon from hand to hand, "and it's not like I take pleasure in bragging—but I have yet to find my match with the sword."

"Really?" There was a brief silence, before Terence declared, "In that case, Peter, I challenge you to a one-on-one duel."

Peter looked at him. "You mean, you and me?"

Terence said nothing, but there was a knowing glint in his eye.

"Here and now?"

Again, Terence said nothing, yet his shrewd expression said it all.

Peter grinned. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge."

"All right, you're on."

"Mind if I stay and watch?" Edmund asked.

"By all means, stick around," Terence told him. "After all, it's much more fun with an admiring spectator."

Oreius decided this ought to be interesting, so he opted to stay, too. Nearby, several fauns, satyrs, and centaurs, who were also engaged in artificial combat, took notice of what was going on and promptly moved closer to get a better look.

Within a short time, a small crowd had assembled. When Tumnus, Lucy, and Susan passed by and discovered the crowd, their interest was perked and they edged in as well.

"What is this?" Tumnus asked one of the other fauns, who was a tall, robust fellow with sandy-colored hair and a scruffy beard. "What's going on here?"

"Terence and Lord Peter are having a duel," the faun replied.

"Peter?" said Lucy incredulously.

"Terence?" Tumnus said at the same time, knitting his brows and quirking his ears in disbelief. "In a _duel?_"

The faun nodded. "See for yourselves. They are just about to begin."

"Oh, this I have _got_ to see," Susan insisted, and she pushed her way a little further into the front. Tumnus and Lucy did likewise.

In the center of the ring, Terence held out a hand and requested, "Sword, please." Edmund passed one to him, and Terence took a moment to inspect the blade. He stared at it, then ran his thumb gently along the edge.

He swung it back and forth a few times, then finally gave a nod of satisfaction. "Yes, this one will do very nicely."

Peter just smirked and rolled his eyes. "This'll be a piece of cake," he murmured to Edmund when Edmund returned to his side. "But I'll humor him."

No one was worried much about the outcome of this little duel. After all, as Edmund had said, Peter was a well-seasoned master. He had used the sword for nearly twelve years, and Terence had only been human for five years.

What did Terence know about the art of dueling that the High King didn't already know front and back?

As the men stood opposite one another, swords at the ready, Peter asked in a voice loud enough for all ears to hear, "Any last words, amateur?"

"I shall cut you to ribbons, when I'm through with you," Terence replied haughtily.

Thus, the duel began.

Peter made the first move, but Terence dodged him easily. Peter lunged out again, and again Terence sidestepped him, swift as a blink, smooth as rainwater. This took Peter somewhat aback. A hushed murmur rippled through the surrounding crowd. When Peter struck out the third time, Terence stood his ground, but he easily blocked Rhindon, and riposted in such a manner that Peter was almost thrown off balance. Quite a few people now gasped aloud, including Tumnus and Lucy. Edmund's eyes widened, and Oreius's brows lifted slightly. "Is that the best you can do?" Terence taunted Peter when Peter was facing him again. The boy twirled his sword around in several elaborate circles.

A muscle in Peter's jaw tightened as he regarded his opponent. He'd clearly underestimated Terence; he would have to go all-out with this.

"All right, Terence," the High King said, "you asked for it."

With that, he let loose.

He fought against Terence with every ounce of his might and strength, dispatching the most complicated moves he could invent. But no matter what he did, no matter how creative he was, Terence was a match for him and parried each and every blow almost effortlessly, staying quick and alert all the time, as light on his feet as a feather. In the meantime, the boy proved to have some clever tricks of his own tucked up his sleeve.

In the crowd, more than one jaw dropped at the sight.

"He's _amazing!_" Lucy breathed as she watched Terence swing at Peter about as idly as if he were batting a fly.

"I can't believe it," said Tumnus in an awestruck whisper.

Even Oreius had to admire Terence's agility and skill. The centaur had taught Peter essentially everything there was to know about the sword, yet he found himself learning a few new moves and techniques.

Edmund wished he had a quill and parchment at hand, so that he could jot down notes.

Nobody knew how long the duel lasted, but in the end, Terence succeeded in knocking Rhindon clear out of Peter's hand, and he caught it neatly by the hilt. Now he and Peter stood stock-still, Terence clutching Rhindon in one hand and extending his own sword with the other, the sharp tip resting just under Peter's chin. Both men were panting and shaking; their chests heaved erratically, and their faces dripped steadily with sweat.

There was a moment of utter silence in the yard, uninterrupted by so much as a whisper.

Finally Terence asked, "Do you yield?"

Seeing that Terence had him, Peter gave in. "I yield."

Now everyone broke out into wild cheers and applause. Tumnus and Lucy were among the ones who lauded Terence the most enthusiastically, and Terence smiled at them all and took a grand bow.

Peter shook his head ruefully as he took his weapon back, but he had to smile himself.

One by one, the others closed in on them, slapping them on the shoulders, roughhousing with them a little here and there. Some congratulated Peter all the same, while others raved about Terence's skills.

"That was outstanding," Oreius commended Terence, which was possibly the highest compliment anyone could warrant from him.

Edmund agreed wholeheartedly. "Absolutely incredible," the Just King said. "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it."

"I saw it, and I _still _don't believe it," said one of the satyrs.

Lucy gave Terence a huge hug the second she reached him, and Tumnus clasped his friend's shoulder and proclaimed proudly, "Well done, mate."

Later, as they all slowly made their way off the turf together, Terence, who continued to flick his sword now and again, said, "So, Peter, what have you got to say, now?"

There was a fairly pink tinge to Peter's cheeks, but he said submissively, "Okay, I admit it. You are truly an exceptionally talented swordsman, Terence."

"Thank you," said the white-haired youth with a broad grin, holding his head high with pride.

"Looks like you've finally met your match, Pete," Edmund said.

"Where on earth did you learn such swordsmanship?" Susan inquired of Terence.

"Oh…here and there," he replied as he absently ran his thumb along the keen edge of the blade once more. "I've been to many places, had loads of practice."

"Whoever taught you must have been brilliant," said Lucy.

"Yes," was all Terence said. Everybody noticed, however, that there was a strange note to the boy's tone. He was careful to avoid their gazes, and he would say no more after that.

* * *

The rest of the day went by much more smoothly and pleasantly. It was easily the best day Lucy and her siblings, and Tumnus and Terence, had had in the longest time. But there was one thing that Tumnus was yet troubled about.

It wasn't until night had fallen, and nearly the whole Cair had gone to sleep, that the faun felt he was able to do it properly. Quietly, he stole to the chamber that had been reserved specially for Terence. It was a very handsome chamber, furnished in luxury and good taste. Like Tumnus, Terence had a big marble fireplace, an enormous four-poster bed, a private balcony, and even his own little library. When Tumnus stepped tentatively into the room, he found Terence sitting next to a cheerful fire, skimming through a large book that rested in his lap. Terence, whose ears and overall instincts were as finely tuned as they had ever been when he was a unicorn, looked up at once.

"Hi," he said when he saw Tumnus. "What's up, Tumnus?"

"Can I talk to you, Terence?" said Tumnus meekly, his hands toying with the fringe of his scarf that swathed his neck, his hooves tapping apprehensively against the floor.

"Of course." Terence promptly set his book aside, onto a little table. "What is it you want to talk about, mate?"

Tumnus didn't answer outright, but he approached Terence very slowly, almost fearfully. The look on his face was one of great sorrow and shame; he seemed close to the brink of tears. Upon seeing this, Terence rose taller in his chair. The boy's silvery brows knit in an expression of deep concern. "Tumnus, are you all right?" he queried. "What's wrong?" When Tumnus finally reached him, Terence started to stand up, but Tumnus gently forced him to sit down again.

Closing his eyes for a moment, taking a slow, deep breath, Tumnus somehow found the courage to say, "Terence…I owe you an apology. And a very big one, at that."

"Oh, mate…"

"No, please, let me say it. I need to say it. For my heart's sake, I must." Getting to his knees on the gold-embroidered carpet in front of Terence, Tumnus said penitently, "My behavior toward you yesterday was nothing short of disgusting. I should never have said what I'd said, Terence—should never have treated you the way I'd done."

"It's all right," Terence never hesitated to reassure him. "I don't blame you for that. In a way, I sort of deserved it."

"I tried to drive you away from me," Tumnus said, his voice cracking noticeably, unshed tears swimming in his eyes. "I came so close—_so close_—to losing you all over again."

"Really, Tumnus, it's all right," said Terence gently. "I understand completely."

"If you had left me forever…" Here, Tumnus faltered for a time before he was able to finish, and then it was with a raw, feeble, hardly audible voice: "…I couldn't bear it."

His head dropped at that, and his hands flew up to hide his face.

"Tumnus…"

"Oh, Terence," the faun groaned into his palms, "forgive me. Say that you forgive me. _Please._"

Terence looked down solicitously at the pitiful creature for just a moment, then he eased himself out of the chair and joined his companion on the floor.

Gently lifting Tumnus's tear-streaked face to his own, he gazed intently into the faun's shimmering eyes and told him in a loving, serious tone, "I forgive you, Tumnus. With my whole heart, I forgive you."

A glint of hope shone in Tumnus's eyes. "We're still brothers?" he asked tremulously.

"Brothers fight," said Terence softly. "They have their disagreements, and their occasional fall-outs." A kind smile graced the boy's handsome features. "But they're still brothers, nonetheless."

Tears were now all but pouring down Tumnus's cheeks, but he was smiling at the same time. He just looked at Terence, and for a time neither said a word, unwilling to break the moment.

Then finally Tumnus made a sound that ranged somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and practically threw himself against Terence, engulfing him in a fierce hug. Terence returned the embrace gladly, grateful for his arms and hands; they were the things he'd used to envy about humans. Once more, the tears that Tumnus shed on him threatened his good clothes, but once again, Terence paid it no mind.

"It's all right," he whispered gently into the faun's ear as they knelt there together and cradled one another. "It's all right…"

By the time the flow of tears ceased, when Tumnus finally relinquished his grip on Terence, the faun centered his gaze with the youth's and asked thickly, "You're sure you forgive me?"

"So long as you're sure that _you_ forgive _me_." Terence wiped his tears for him, then kissed him lightly on the forehead, and Tumnus kissed the young man in return.

"Don't ever leave me again, Terence," Tumnus entreated. "Promise me that you will always be with me."

"I'll be with you," Terence promised. "Even when you can't see me, I'll be with you. Like I told you before, mate, you're a literal part of me. I love you, and I'd give my life for you."

Tumnus knew that he really would, and the knowledge humbled him to his roots. "And I you," was the only appropriate thing the faun could find to say.

Terence smiled at him, his face bathed in the warm glow of the fire, and Tumnus managed a tearful smile in exchange. After another minute, Terence rose to his feet, bringing Tumnus up with him.

He pulled the faun back into his arms for one final hug, and Tumnus came willingly.

Then Terence amiably shooed his mate away. "Off with you, now. The hour is late, and you need your sleep."

"What, all of a sudden you're to be my nursemaid?" One of Tumnus's eyebrows lifted meaningfully.

"In some cases, you would appear to need one," the unicorn youth teased back, and they both laughed. Ultimately, Tumnus did turn and leave to retire to his own chamber, feeling as light as though he had wings in place of hooves.

Terence stayed where he was and watched his brother go, a smile on his face, his heart brimming with emotion.


	8. Chapter 8

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Hot dog, another update! And one to one of my most favorite stories of all time. Seriously, I consider this to be among my best works. Not to sound narcissistic, but if you think my fan stories are good, just wait until you read my novel when it comes out. (Yes, I say when, not if.) That is where I really put my storytelling skills to the test. I don't expect to be the next J.K. Rowling, but I hope people will like my book enough to bother to read it._

_In the meantime, let's savor what we have here and now. Please don't forget to give me feedback, mates!_

_By the way, just so you know, it's Terence's birthday today! (Hey, OCs can have birthdays too, can't they? That's okay, isn't it?) And yours truly's birthday is precisely one week from today! Happy birthday, Terence!  
_

* * *

**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

* * *

**Chapter 8  
**

The following morning, while most of the castle was still asleep, Lucy headed out to the beach. She made sure to wear a robe over her sleeveless white nightdress, but she didn't bother with her shoes or anything else.

The girl loved to watch the sun rise; she loved the feel of the cool, soft sand beneath her bare feet, and—if the weather permitted—she loved to go for an occasional dip in the sea itself.

To her surprise, Terence had already beaten her to the ocean.

His boots were lined up neatly against a rock, and he was swimming in his good clothes.

Terence was in that spot where he was within close range of the shore, but the water was quite deep. Lucy could not tell how long he had been out there, but he'd obviously swum long enough to get completely drenched. Terence proved to be fearless of the water, for he was hardly above it for more than a minute at a time. Even when on the surface, he kept his face directed mostly downward, looking up only when he needed fresh air.

Lucy had to admire the boy's daring. She was also greatly impressed by his swimming skills; if he wasn't a human, or a unicorn, he would have made a fabulous merman.

For the next ten minutes or so, Lucy stood very quietly on the shoreline and watched her friend. When Terence finally took notice of her as he was lifting his head once again, he stopped right away and straightened up.

"Hey, Lucy!" he called when he had the breath to speak.

"Hi, Terence!" she called back. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going for a swim!"

Of course, Lucy was already well aware of that. "At this hour?" she commented. "Even the soldiers aren't awake yet."

"Well, I couldn't help myself," Terence confessed. "The ocean offered me an invitation I couldn't refuse."

"Aren't you cold?"

"Actually, the water's quite warm, once you get used to it."

Brushing back a loose wisp of red-gold hair from her face, Lucy asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"If you can swim, by all means! If not…well, I'll be more than happy to teach you!"

As a matter of fact, Lucy did know how to swim quite well herself. She should have known, anyway, having swum in that ocean, along with Narnia's many lakes and rivers, many a day and many a night for the last eleven years. So she shed her robe, letting it fall into a heap in the sand, and headed out into the water in her long, silken gown and bare feet. Susan would have had a heart attack if she'd seen what her sister was doing, and Peter would have very strongly disapproved.

At first the water was quite cold, but Lucy quickly adjusted the further she waded.

Terence waited patiently for her.

When the water level was up to her chest, Lucy held her nose, took a deep breath, and swiftly ducked below the surface, so as to get her whole body accustomed to the water. She reemerged a few seconds later, gasping, the water flowing steadily down her face on all sides and dripping off like rain. Terence had to smile at the endearing sight; in many ways, Lucy was still that precious, precocious, audacious little child he had grown to love.

When she'd finally caught up with him, he told her, "It's nice to see you in the world of the wet, Lucy."

Her response to this remark was to flick water in the young man's eyes. Since Terence was already about as wet as he could get, this hardly bothered him. He simply wiped the moisture from his eyes before he asked, "You sure you feel up to this?"

"If you can handle this, so can I. Besides, a little water never did anyone any harm."

"You don't consider yourself too old for these kinds of games?"

Lucy answered by spitting a full mouthful of water in Terence's face.

Now Terence was convinced.

He laughed aloud and roguishly splashed the girl back. When she tried to retaliate, he dived safely below the rolling waves. In less than a minute, Lucy felt something beneath her, and before she knew what was going on, she felt herself being tossed high into the air. Her shriek of surprise was cut short when she hit the water again. By the time she'd resurfaced, Terence was there to greet her with a very smug look on his dripping face.

Lucy pretended to sulk at first, but then she couldn't help herself and broke into a laugh.

For the next hour or so, the two of them engaged in this pleasant sport together. They swam laps, held contests to see who could hold their breath the longest, scoured the sea floor for unique stones and shells, and things like that. Lucy practiced every swimming stroke she knew, and learned several new ones from Terence. Terence also showed her how to float on top of the water, and how to regulate her breath as she did so.

"It's all a matter of relaxation," he explained. "The more relaxed you are, the more air and energy you're able to conserve. Just let everything go, and let the water carry you."

Lucy did as she was told, and was amazed at how well it worked. She felt as light as a feather, like there was nothing in the world to fear or worry much about.

When at long last she felt too tired to swim any longer, Terence accompanied her to shore. By this time, the sun had just about risen, and a breathtaking mélange of brilliant colors spread over the sky.

Exhausted yet oddly exhilarated, Lucy stretched out on her back in the silky sands and closed her eyes. Terence sat right beside her.

"You all right?" Lucy heard Terence ask her at length.

"Oh, yes," she sighed, "very all right." Opening her eyes again, tilting her head slightly to the side so as to look at Terence more properly, she smiled fondly at her dear friend.

He was changed in so many ways, yet he remained the same in other ways. Having him here with her brought back a special joy she never thought to feel again.

"What?" Terence queried. "What are you staring at?"

"Oh," said Lucy abstractedly, "I was just reminiscing the good old days. About all the wonderful times we shared when you were…well, you know."

"Does it bother you?" Terence couldn't help asking. "That I'm—like this?"

"It's quite a change, all right," the girl had to admit as she now rose to a sitting position. "I wouldn't necessarily call it a _bad_ one…but it will most definitely take some time to get used to."

"Even now, _I_ still haven't completely adjusted," the white-haired boy confessed. "I miss being able to run as fast as I used to. I miss being able to throw back my head, toss up my tail, and gallop away at full speed. It feels especially odd to move around on two legs instead of the usual four—to have hands and feet in place of hooves." He held up his hands as he spoke. He studied them intently, rotated his palms, wiggled his fingers.

"Though I must admit," he added on, "these hands have proven to be plenty useful."

"I'll miss riding on your back," said Lucy coyly, "and weaving flowers into your mane."

"Well, I certainly won't miss _that_ bit." When Lucy stuck out her lower lip at this, Terence smiled and assured her, "I'm joking!"

She smiled herself once more, unable to help it. "Either way," she said, "man or unicorn, it's good to have you back, Terence."

She slid a little closer to his side, leaned into him. "I missed you very much."

"And I missed you," Terence whispered, his heart beating strangely faster at their physical contact. "I can't believe how grown up you are. Seems like only yesterday you were that sweet little girl."

"Little?" She drew back to stare at him in mock indignation. "I _beg _your pardon? For your information, mister, I have always been tall for my age!"

Terence laughed—a kind laugh, gentle and pleasant. "You'll always be my little Lucy, Lucy."

Lucy could find nothing to counteract this, so she merely huddled against him once more, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and bestowed a light, brotherly kiss upon her forehead.

They remained in that position for a long time, watching the sea, listening to the distant cries of the gulls and the soothing lull of the waves, while Terence's thoughts and emotions found themselves in a confused jumble.

He felt an unusual desire to be nearer to Lucy, to never let the girl get away from him. He felt the need to hold her in his arms, to…

_What's the matter with you? _Terence's inner voice scolded him. _This is Lucy Pevensie, for heaven's sake! She's your friend, a friend with whom you have only just begun to become reacquainted. Have you officially gone crazy? _

"Terence?" Lucy sensed something serious was on his mind. "What is it?"

Terence shook his head slightly to snap himself out of it. "Nothing," the youth muttered. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

To change the subject, he stood up and said, with his gaze on the Cair, "Everyone else in the castle should start waking up by now. We'd better hurry and get out of these wet things before they catch us."

"Oh, yes," Lucy didn't hesitate to agree. "Susan and Peter will kill me if they see me like this."

"They'll likely be after my blood, too, since I'm the one who led you into this in the first place."

"This has happened before," said Lucy as she plucked up her robe, while Terence retrieved his boots. "And it will undoubtedly happen again."

He cocked a shrewd eyebrow at her. "Ah, aren't you the daring one?"

"I can be very sneaky when I want to be," the queen answered, grinning cheekily. "Besides, there is fun to be found in taking these risks. What is life all about otherwise?"

Laughing one last time, shaking his head affectionately, Terence declared, "So young, so wise!"


	9. Chapter 9

**TWO OF A KIND**

_Welcome back, folks, and an especially big welcome to 2012! A lot of people believe this is the year we're all gonna die, but I don't intend to lose sleep over it. Heck, they've been predicting the "end of the world" since it began in the first place. Anyway, I'm so glad to get back to this story. I'm amazed at how long it's been since I updated, and even more at how long it's been since I first posted it. Oh, well, I'm just grateful I got another chapter for it, that I'm starting to regain my muse. _

_Good reading, mates, and don't forget the reviews! _

_By the way, I borrowed a line from "Gnomeo and Juliet" for this; see if you can spot it!  
_

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**Characters (excluding Terence) © C.S. Lewis and Disney/Walden Media**

**Terence and Story © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved.**_

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**Chapter 9  
**

Terence and Lucy made it successfully back to the Cair and to their own private rooms. The only person they ran into was Tumnus, but aside from lifting an eyebrow, the faun said nothing. Once Terence and Lucy changed into dry clothes and toweled their hair some, everyone else who saw them assumed they'd just got out of a bath.

After breakfast, Terence went for a little stroll around the castle, drinking in the familiar details of the place, and exploring some of the rooms he'd never gone to before. One of those rooms was the main library. It was there he found Tumnus, who was sitting in a maroon armchair with one leg crossed over the other and with a big book cradled in his arms. It wasn't until Terence's shadow passed over Tumnus that the faun realized he was even there. The faun gave a bit of a start, but quickly relaxed when he recognized the young man. "Oh, Terence," he sighed, placing one hand over his chest. "Took me rather by surprise there, mate."

"That's no surprise," Terence replied, with a flash of his charming smile. "Stealth is my middle name, you know."

Tumnus rolled his eyes. That was one of Terence's most annoying traits—and one that Tumnus secretly envied. More than once, the faun wished he could be as sneaky as his friend.

He didn't know how Terence did it, or how unicorns did it; with them, stealth seemed to be as natural as breathing.

"What have you got there?" Terence went on.

"A book. What did you expect?"

"What's it say?" Tumnus showed him the cover, but though the title was in clear print, Terence asked, "Could you sound that out for me?"

"What's the matter? Don't you know what it says?"

Terence's handsome face turned a noteworthy shade of red. "Er…Tumnus," he said slowly, after a minute of awkward silence, "there's something I forgot to mention to you."

"What's that?"

Looking at the floor, as if in shame, the boy confessed, "I can't read."

Tumnus stared at him in disbelief. "You mean, you never learned?"

Terence shook his head, causing his long white bangs to swish to and fro. "Not really. No."

"Why not?"

"I just never learned, that's all. No one taught me."

Tumnus quirked his ears. "You mean to tell me you can take on Peter in a duel with one hand tied behind your back, yet you can't read a single word?"

The redness in Terence's face deepened, were such a thing possible. "Guess it goes to show there are things I'm not so good at."

Tumnus, who was a true scholar and needed books and scrolls the way most people needed food and water, could hardly believe his ears. He knew unicorns didn't have much need for reading, but it surprised him that Terence hadn't learned to read or write during his five years as a human. You would think the boy would have at least started somewhere.

Right then, Lucy appeared at Terence's side. "Hello, boys," she said brightly. Seeing their faces, she asked, "What's going on?"

When Terence told her of his illiteracy, she seemed as startled as Tumnus at first, but only for a moment. Then she smiled and said, "Well, if you want to learn how, Terence, I would be more than glad to teach you."

"You would?"

She nodded vigorously. "Certainly! And Tumnus can help, too."

Tumnus looked even more surprised, but all he said was, "I don't see why not."

Lifting one hand to knead the back of his neck, Terence said uneasily, "I don't think I'd make a very good pupil."

"Sure, you would," Lucy insisted. "All you need is practice. Once you get the hang of it, you'll love it."

Now Tumnus smiled as he added on, "You'd be amazed at how much there is to be found in books, mate." He brushed his fingers over the velvet cover of his book in what Terence would swear was a loving caress.

Terence wasn't so sure, but he said, "I suppose it's worth a try."

Especially, he thought, though he daren't say it aloud, if it gave him an opportunity to spend more time with Lucy.


End file.
